Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Collision Avoidance
• Method 2 of 2: What to do during a collision
• Tips
• Warnings

Hundreds of thousands of accidents occur every year on the roads of Northern Europe and North America due to collisions with moose and deer. Such accidents most often lead to severe damage to cars, to serious injury or even death of their passengers, not to mention the animals themselves. If you want to avoid a collision with a moose or deer, then do not forget about vigilance; in addition, it is necessary to know exactly what to do in case of an unexpected appearance of an animal in front of the hood of a moving car. Read on for details.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Collision Avoidance

1. 1 Watch out for road signs. Most often, collisions with moose and deer occur in their habitats - in a wooded area and on the way to a watering hole. If you see a sign warning of a possible meeting with a moose or deer, then triple your vigilance and slow down. These animals can cross the road at any time of the year for a variety of reasons. They can simply move around their habitat. Mating periods and hunting seasons also affect animal behavior, causing frequent movements. Be carefull.
2. 2 Your speed must be safe. Do not drive while driving through the habitats of elk and deer. Even if you are not in a hurry, you will still reach your destination; but, in the event of a meeting with a large animal, you will have a couple of extra seconds, and you will have time to avoid a collision.According to the recommendations of environmental specialists, when driving through the habitat of wild animals in good weather conditions, it is safe to drive at a speed not exceeding 90 km / h: in this case, you have a little time for an emergency stop. Driving at higher speeds is associated with the following problems:
   • the likelihood of avoiding a collision is reduced, because there is too little time left for emergency braking;
   • as the speed increases, the consequences of a collision for a large car / truck are noticeably worse;
   • collision avoidance is severely limited: instead of smoothly reacting and braking, you basically have to rely on avoiding obstacles.
3. 3 Apply defensive driving skills. Be prepared to take preventive measures such as decelerating quickly, suddenly braking, or turning off blinding headlights. Always keep in mind that your braking distance should be within the section of the road that is illuminated by the headlights when you start braking. If you are not aware of the maximum speed at which this result can be achieved, then find out by training in some safe place. Make sure your seat belt is fastened; also ask all of your passengers to buckle up: an unexpected jerk can throw someone out of the car.
4. 4 Watch out for the surroundings. While driving, carefully inspect the roadside for the appearance of wild animals. If you are carrying passengers, then ask them to help, but warn in advance that you should not shout, because from surprise you can twitch and react incorrectly. Let the one who is the first to notice the elk or deer calmly tell you about it. Inspect roadsides and roadside lanes, look into ditches (they are convenient to graze in) and crossing country roads, keep your eyes on the dividing lawns and oncoming lane: watch for any movement, dark silhouettes or shiny eyes.
   • Watch out for both curbs: many drivers focus on the side of the road and forget about the oncoming one. Danger can come from anywhere, keep this in mind and look at both sides of the road!
5. 5 Take special care at sunrise and sunset. It is known that moose and deer are most active at dawn and from dusk to midnight. The situation is complicated by the fact that it is at this time that our eyes see the worst, since it is no longer dark, but not yet light, and it is difficult for our eyes to adapt to low-light conditions. If in such conditions you feel uncomfortable or have difficulty seeing, then it is better to wait out or postpone the trip altogether.
   • Be on your guard. If you spot a deer or elk, then most likely there are a few more wandering around, even if you can't see them yet. If you find one animal, then expect to see others soon.
6. 6 Drive carefully at night. To widen the field of view, use the high beam headlights to the maximum, but do not forget to extinguish it when approaching oncoming traffic so as not to dazzle other drivers. Here are a few more steps to take when driving at night.
   • If you are driving on a three-lane road, then take the middle lane. For a two-lane road, try to stay as close to the center as possible.
   • Make sure your windshield is clean: dirt is reflective and severely restricts visibility.
   • Keep your speed below maximum. This will save you fuel and increase your own safety.
   • Watching the curbs, pay special attention to the appearance of glowing eyes; at night they can be seen at very long distances. Sometimes, until the very last, you will only be able to observe until the animal jumps out in front of you onto the road. Keep in mind that moose eyes do not reflect headlights.
7. 7 If other cars behave abnormally, slow down. If you saw flashing headlights or emergency lights, heard sound signals or noticed people rushing about, then slow down and get ready to stop! Of course, if the car in front of you suddenly braked sharply, then you will stop too, or at least slow down a lot. This situation may mean that an animal jumped out onto the road in front of this car and the driver had to brake urgently.
8. 8 Do not lose your vigilance, even if you are driving through a settlement. You've just entered the suburbs, so now the danger is over, right? Not properly! In search of food, moose and deer often wander into the city limits. The animal may graze on the dividing lawn or suddenly jump out of someone's garden. Do not relax your attention while driving for a second. When you pass a moose or deer, do not expect a rational reaction from them.
   • A loud horn, a blinking light and an approaching metal hulk will surely scare the animal to the point of loss of memory, as a result of which it will rush to cut you rather than to the side. Male deer are especially likely to throw themselves at standing or moving vehicles of any size.
9. 9 Know when to detour notdesirable. If you suddenly find a deer in front of the car, then gently brake. Not you need to try to go around it and generally leave your lane; Many accidents do not happen because of the knocking down of an animal, but are the result of a collision with traffic in the opposite lane due to a sudden change of lane associated with an attempt to bypass a sudden obstacle - an elk or a deer. It is best in this case to apply defensive driving skills and keep such a speed so that if a large animal appears on the road, you will not collide with it, having time to brake in time.
10. 10 Signal to elk or deer with short beeps. And do this only if the animal is far enough ahead, and there are no other cars around that can misinterpret your signals. The horns will scare the animal away, and it may jump to the side, but there is no guarantee that it will not run directly at you. If an elk or a deer is in the immediate vicinity, then it is not worth signaling at all, since the animal can get scared and rush directly into the car.

Method 2 of 2: What to do during a collision

1. 1 If collision is unavoidable, then minimize the impact. If you see that an accident cannot be avoided, then try to minimize its consequences. Here are some tips on how to do it.
   • Try to steer the car in the direction the animal is running from. This will increase the distance, because a frightened quadruped is unlikely to change direction and rush back. This trick is unlikely to work when meeting a group of animals or if a deer is in front of you.
   • Keep your gaze in the direction you directed the car. Do not look at the animal, because otherwise you may involuntarily roll in its direction.
   • Try to turn a head-on collision into a sliding impact. Brake hard, turn the steering wheel and release the brake pedal at the moment of impact. As a result, the front of the car will unload and rise slightly, preventing the animal's body from flying onto the windshield (if, of course, your car is tall enough).
   • If you are facing a collision with a moose, then lean towards the door pillar. The Mythbusters modeled this situation; in the process of carrying out a series of collisions, they repeatedly turned out that the middle part of the car was destroyed very much, while the triangle near the door pillar remained completely intact. However, no guarantees are given here; it would be better if you did not get into such collisions at all.
2. 2 Take appropriate action after encountering a moose or deer. After you have made sure that all passengers are safe, you need to take a few more mandatory steps.
   • Try to get the car out of the way. Turn on the emergency light and, if possible, illuminate the body of the animal as clearly as possible with the headlights.
   • Examine passengers carefully for injuries and, if possible, provide assistance to them. Even if no physical damage is observed, the effects of shock can occur very soon. Encourage each other and, if it's cold outside, put on warm clothes, because in a state of shock or fear, the body's ability to withstand the cold is noticeably impaired. If it happens in winter, then stay in the car so as not to freeze.
   • If possible, stay away from the lying animal - from fear or pain, it can kick or hurt you with its horns. If the animal has blocked the roadway, then park the car so that the headlights illuminate the body and turn on the emergency light. Any attempts to move the animal can only be made if you are one hundred percent sure that it is dead.
   • If you have emergency triangles and / or flashlights with you, be sure to use them.
   • Call the police immediately or ask a passing driver. Keep in mind that most insurance companies will refuse to cover your collision with an animal unless you provide them with a police report on the accident.

Tips

• When exploring the surrounding area, pay special attention to possible sources of water: streams, swamps or ravines are especially attractive to elk and deer. And since the road provides them with a very convenient approach, the likelihood of meeting large animals on the road in the area of ​​the watering hole is very high.
• Think in advance about your actions in case an elk or a deer jump out on the road in front of your car. If you prepare in advance for this, then in a real situation you will act calmly and efficiently.
• One deer - several deer. They always keep in herds, so if you see a deer, then immediately slow down, as others are wandering around somewhere nearby. With moose everything is not so simple, that is, one moose is often just one moose, although, of course, it is possible that there are several more in the vicinity. Cows often walk with their calves.
• Use the headlights of other cars to find moose and deer. Peer into the curbs as waves of light from passing cars run along them; watch out for the silhouette of the animal in the flickering shadows.
• Be especially careful if a forest fire is blazing somewhere. Fleeing from fire, moose and deer can cover great distances and cross the road far beyond their usual habitats. Even if a fire burns many kilometers away from you, watch carefully for possible appearance of large animals fleeing from the fire.
• There is another option - to quickly accelerate and rush past the animal. But there is one problem: it is quite difficult to decide on this action and perform it quickly enough for it to have an effect. The fact is that in this situation, fast acceleration goes against the driver's reflexes. Be that as it may, under certain conditions, this option is the best way to avoid collisions with elk or deer.
• Sometimes the deer behave as follows: even if they are not directly in the path of an approaching car, they freeze in the light of its headlights, and when the car approaches very close, they rush onto the road. This often results in the deer hitting the side of the car. This behavior is very difficult to combat, because if you slow down, it will only increase the likelihood of a collision.
• In this situation, it is best not to make sudden steering movements and not to change the driving speed. Let your deer instincts take care of both of you. And, we repeat, if there is the slightest likelihood of meeting a deer or elk, then you should not drive - keep the speed within reason.
• If you feel that driving around elk or deer habitats is becoming too dangerous, then park on the side of the road and rest; alternatively, you can stay overnight at a roadside hotel; The most cardinal way to avoid an uncomfortable state is to postpone the trip until daylight hours. Better to be late but safe and sound than to get hurt or even die in the name of the schedule.

Warnings

• It is not so easy to see a moose or deer at night, because their skins are dark in color. If you know you are driving through wildlife habitats, then be doubly careful.
• Defending its cub, the elk is able to crush even a wild bear. A deer can severely injure or kill a person for the same reason. Even if you are not going to harm the calf, then know: moose or deer are indifferent to your intentions.
• Do not turn on the interior lights while driving. The interior light casts glare on the windshield, severely impairing visibility and making it difficult for you to notice the dark silhouette of an animal on the road.
• Do not drive while falling asleep or under the influence of alcohol. Cheerfulness and sobriety are not only essential for safe driving, but are also essential for successfully confronting the danger of a collision with a wild animal.
• Deer whistles are useless toys; do not expect any significant effect from them.
• The fence along the road does not guarantee your safety. A moose or deer can easily walk around, jump over or just walk right through. Don't relax at the sight of the hedge; drive carefully - and you will have peace of mind.
• In fact, moose eyes reflect light as well as deer eyes. The problem is that moose are tall creatures; their muzzles are higher than the headlights of most passenger cars, so the head light from moose eyes is not reflected. This feature greatly complicates nighttime detection of these animals.
• Do not honk the elk if you see it on the side of the road. With a deer, this may well work, but an elk is a very aggressive animal and can attack a car in response. Both for you and for the machine, the consequences can be dire, and the elk, most likely, will remain safe and sound, because it attacks with horns. When driving past a moose, do not honk or change direction and speed.
• If you try to get away from a collision with a deer or elk and accidentally hit an obstacle, such as a tree or a concrete bump, the insurance company may consider you guilty and only partially compensate for the damage. If, other things being equal, you still shoot the animal, then the difference you paid out of your own pocket will be significantly less.
• All of the above applies ONLY to moose and common deer. Other ungulate tetrapods, such as horses or reindeer, have different habits, and therefore the advice given in this article does not apply to them.